Sensory overload & control

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Just a quick question about how how personal control affects sensory overload.

For example, if you usually hate the sound of a vacuum cleaner to the point of wanting to leave the room/house when someone's vacuuming, does this mean that you can't vacuum yourself either? Or does having control over the vacuum and an ability to decide how long it's on/where it will go next etc. make the whole experience far more bearable?

Similarly, if it bothers you when someone unexpectedly clicks their fingers near you, is it as bad if you know they're about to do it or if you do it yourself?

I've focused on sounds because they're the first examples that came to mind, but I'm interested in similar comparisons to other sensory inputs too.

It varies. For example, I hate the sound of people chewing/eating but I don't really mind the sound of me doing so. But it doesn't always work like that. I also can't stand the sound of people breathing loudly. Same goes for when I hear myself breathe loudly (if I wear earplugs or something). Freaks me out. Do you know what I mean?

Controlling the noise helps, definitely.

I was always a control freak when it came to fireworks at the fourth of July. If I was lighting them, I was less bothered. If someone else was lighting them, it wasn't long before I was covering my ears and jumping at each explosion.

I use over the ear protection. I can hear normally with them if I choose to, and they deaden noises over 85 decibels. They hear in mono, unlike the ear defenders which cost about 40 dollars more, but with that broad of a price difference, I like my Harbor Freight clone just fine, they were under 15.00 and I use them all the time; dishes, vacuuming, driving with the windows down, and fireworks.

Disclaimer: I am not autistic, but I do have some sensory issues.

I think the recent "explosion" of fireworks around my house is a perfect example of how this plays out for me.

I don't mind fireworks. At all. I enjoy going. The noise doesn't bother me. I am prepared for it.

But ever since the 4th, random people at random times at random places throughout my neighborhood are setting off fireworks. My nerves are on edge. I hate it.

It's the same reason I hate balloons. They may pop unexpectedly and I cannot stand it. But I would be much less bothered to pop them myself.

Some sounds I can deal with if I control or if I know it's going to happen and am prepared. Others I can't stand at all even if I'm doing it, for example popping balloons has me running out the room and if I'm cornered it will usually end in tears

I can't tolerate the sound of noodles being stirred (that horrid squishy noise), so if I want to eat a dish that has pasta, I have to have the TV or music turned up to drown out the sound. For me, having control over something sometimes helps, but certain things like crowds still are almost too much.

For me it's all about anticipation. I will cringe away from what I know is the hand of my wife, if she touches me unexpectedly. I'm good at shutting down and shutting things out once I've been overwhelmed too much to take a sensory assault. That happened with fireworks this year. The whole event was too hot and crowded and loud and dirty, so fireworks were just unpleasant.

Uh, I don't have too many issues but any sort of sudden noise can make me cringe, or if too many people are talking at once. Where I work that can happen a LOT so to prevent it I say "one at a time" to the kids or say "oh, you'll lose all your tickets if you talk", then reward them with some candy or something so they do it again next time. Usually if it gets bad enough that I do actually physically cringe, the parents usually gets involved and tells the kid to settle down or takes care of it from there. Also, at home, people tend to talk over eachother and it drives me nuts; I tell them to talk one at a time and it usually works.

As long as I expect a loud noise, I can handle it. Also, if it drowns into a background cacophony, I can tune it out. You kinda have to if you work where I work.

The only thing that I can think of that I really haven't learned how to inhibit is my reaction to someone rubbing on felt. I dunno why but that sound is the worst sound possible and if I hear it, it actually hurts and makes me just freak out. Not like, loud freak out or anything but urgh.

Sometimes. Like I'd rather wash the dishes because when somebody else does it it seems to hurt my ears more than when I just do it.

But I couldn't do something like set my smoke alarm off, if I had to. I'd have to put in earplugs first then do it. Same goes with popping a balloon. I cannot do it myself.

When I was a kid, I definitely hated having my hair washed and combed by my mother or grandmother. When I grew up and I was able to wash and comb my hair myself, things got better, although I still don't really like the sensation.

Also, I have a low threshold for pain. Many hurtful sensations that are tolerable to most people are definitely unbearable for me. I can't stand other people to pluck my eyebrows, but I can do it myself, even if it hurts horribly... I burst into tears last summer the first and only time I went to a cosmetic salon to have my eyebrows plucked.

I always felt that control plays a huge part. After all, if I'm the one doing the unpleasant thing, I know I can always stop when I feel like I can't handle it anymore. If other people are doing it, I can't stop them at will...

_________________
Probably 75% Aspie, 25% NT... and 100% ADHD

Aspie-quiz results:
Aspie score: 138 of 200 / NT score: 78 of 200 => Very likely an Aspie.

Control is very important in my case. When there's loud music coming from a neighbor's house, I almost immediately overload. When I'm at a party with friends however (yes, it's been known to happen), it doesn't bother me at all (unless the music is so loud it hurts). Same goes for pretty much everything else. I'm sure I'd have no problem using a chainsaw or a lawn mower, but both sounds drive me insane if it's somebody else doing it.

I hate cars with subwoofers. I think it should be illegal for someone to rattle my brains with low frequency sound from a block away. Makes my ears ring, and ear plugs don't stop it!

There is a big difference between me vacuuming and someone else vacuuming. When I was little, I hated it when iMother vacuumed, so now that I have grown up, I do the vacuuming, and iMother thinks that this is a great idear. The noise doesn't bother me when I am in control of making it. In fact, I quite enjoy it. Vrooooooom! Vrooooooom! Vrooooooom!

Im sometimes ok and not ok with the vacuum it just depends on the distance between me and the vacuum but I'm mostly ok with it even know it makes me a bit uncomfortable. But there's a handful of stuff that bothers me.